27 Mar
How to Make Meetings More Meaningful and Productive
So much of our workday is spent attending meetings, but is our time well spent?

We feel the intent for meetings is to provide updates, share information, encourage collaboration, set and refine strategies, recognize accomplishments, and identify obstacles, but studies show that time spent in meetings can actually be more disruptive than beneficial.

A meeting statistics report by Zippia shares that:

  • American companies hold 55+ million meetings each week
  • 65% of employees share that meetings prevent them from focusing on and completing their  work
  • 41% of time spent in meetings includes multi-tasking
  • 39% of those surveyed admitted to dozing off during a work meeting
  • 70% of respondents stated job satisfaction levels would improve if fewer meetings were held

These are pretty eye-opening (and revenue losing) statistics!

So, what can we do?

  • Don’t hold a meeting if an email or phone call will suffice
  • Evaluate who truly needs to attend each meeting
  • Share the agenda in advance of the meeting stating the purpose and desired outcomes
  • Stick to the agenda and avoid going off topic
  • Provide advance notice of meeting schedules to prevent scheduling conflicts
  • Start and end the meeting as scheduled
  • If virtual participants are included, encourage them to be on camera 
  • Keep a “parking lot” log of issues or items that require follow-up with dates and the “owner” of the task        

The nature of our business will dictate what and when we have meetings, but the Table Group recommends having four types of meetings:

  1. Daily check-in   (5-10 minutes)
Brief, informal updates

  1. Weekly tactical (45-90 minutes)
Review your scorecard; resolve critical tactical obstacles and issues

  1. Monthly strategic (2-4 hours)
Discuss, analyze, brainstorm and decide upon a critical issue affecting long-term success (prepare in advance and expect conflict!)

  1. Quarterly offsite review (1-2 days)
Review and define team development, company dynamics and clarity, and industry trends

Meetings, be it on calls or in person, are a great way to provide updates and re-visit your team’s priorities, focus, direction, and progress. They must be meaningful, and when held appropriately, will help achieve desired results.

Let us know how you make your meetings meaningful!

 
Sincerely,
Mike and Jan
 

The mark of a great meeting is not how short it is or whether it ends on time. The key is whether it ends with clarity and commitment from participants.
–Patrick Lencioni